“Whatever gets said, the belief is the Ottawa Senators want to try to make this happen and Erik Karlsson wants it to happen, and they have been grinding away in the last two or three days to see if they can,” Friedman said. “Obviously Tampa Bay is a leading contender, I think they’ve thrown several different proposals at each other.”

While negotiations haven’t reached their final stages, other teams have also shown interest in Karlsson, including the Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks and the Vegas Golden Knights.

The idea that Karlsson could end up in Tampa Bay is not unrealistic considering he is close friends with fellow Swede Victor Hedman. The two playing on the Lightning’s blueline could be the ultimate piece for a team that want to win a Stanley Cup this year. However, what would be the cost? While Tampa Bay has quite a lot of solid prospects they could deal, Ottawa would almost definitely be looking for a major piece from the team’s active roster with names such as Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde and Vladislav Namestnikov, rumored to be names that Ottawa would want back.

“I’m sure the names Brayden Point and Yanni Gourde have come up, but at the very least it might even cost them [Vladislav] Namestnikov and we know how important he is to the first line in Tampa Bay,” said Kypreos on the same segment of Hockey Night in Canada. “But Ottawa wants a major piece back.”

Friedman added in the segment that he believes if Ottawa is willing to accept Namestnikov as the centerpiece of the deal, “that’s something that Tampa would do.” However, the real question is what else would Ottawa want? The team is unlikely to part with 19-year-old Mikhail Sergachev, who seems to have turned the corner after recent struggles.

You also have to factor in the injury to Ondrej Palat, who is out for another two or three weeks with what many believe is a high ankle sprain. Does the team have enough depth to survive without a Namestnikov, who is a major influence on the team’s first line. The 25-year-old is having a breakout season with 20 goals and 24 assists in 62 games this year. He is only making $1.94M this year, but will be a restricted free agent next year, which could make him harder to sign for the future.

Since 1989-90, there have been 81 players that have scored 50 or more goals in an NHL season. How many can you name in 7 minutes?

CLUE: Goals / team / season

Score:0/81

Time:7:00

86 / STL / 90-91

Brett Hull

76 / BUF / 92-93

Alexander Mogilny

76 / WIN / 92-93

Teemu Selanne

72 / STL / 89-90

Brett Hull

70 / STL / 91-92

Brett Hull

69 / PIT / 92-93

Mario Lemieux

69 / PIT / 95-96

Mario Lemieux

65 / WSH / 07-08

Alex Ovechkin

63 / LAK / 92-93

Luc Robitaille

62 / PIT / 95-96

Jaromir Jagr

62 / DET / 89-90

Steve Yzerman

60 / VAN / 92-93

Pavel Bure

60 / VAN / 93-94

Pavel Bure

60 / TBL / 11-12

Steven Stamkos

59 / FLA / 00-01

Pavel Bure

58 / FLA / 99-00

Pavel Bure

58 / NYI / 92-93

Pierre Turgeon

58 / DET / 92-93

Steve Yzerman

57 / STL / 93-94

Brett Hull

56 / SJS / 05-06

Jonathan Cheechoo

56 / DET / 93-94

Sergei Fedorov

56 / WSH / 08-09

Alex Ovechkin

55 / MNS / 89-90

Brian Bellows

55 / VAN / 95-96

Alexander Mogilny

55 / BOS / 89-90

Cam Neely

55 / PIT / 92-93

Kevin Stevens

54 / 2TM / 92-93

Dave Andreychuk

54 / STL / 92-93

Brett Hull

54 / NYR / 05-06

Jaromir Jagr

54 / NYI / 89-90

Pat LaFontaine

54 / COL / 00-01

Joe Sakic

54 / PIT / 91-92

Kevin Stevens

53 / TOR / 93-94

Dave Andreychuk

53 / BUF / 92-93

Pat LaFontaine

53 / WSH / 14-15

Alex Ovechkin

53 / PHI / 92-93

Mark Recchi

53 / CGY / 91-92

Gary Roberts

53 / CHI / 91-92

Jeremy Roenick

52 / WSH / 95-96

Peter Bondra

52 / WSH / 97-98

Peter Bondra

52 / NYR / 93-94

Adam Graves

52 / CGY / 01-02

Jarome Iginla

52 / PIT / 00-01

Jaromir Jagr

52 / ATL / 05-06

Ilya Kovalchuk

52 / ATL / 07-08

Ilya Kovalchuk

52 / TBL / 06-07

Vincent Lecavalier

52 / WSH / 05-06

Alex Ovechkin

52 / LAK / 89-90

Luc Robitaille

52 / MDA / 97-98

Teemu Selanne

52 / STL / 93-94

Brendan Shanahan

52 / DET / 93-94

Ray Sheppard

52 / PHX / 96-97

Keith Tkachuk

51 / VAN / 97-98

Pavel Bure

51 / PIT / 09-10

Sidney Crosby

51 / CGY / 90-91

Theoren Fleury

51 / PHI / 95-96

John LeClair

51 / PHI / 97-98

John LeClair

51 / TOR / 89-90

Gary Leeman

51 / BOS / 90-91

Cam Neely

51 / WSH / 13-14

Alex Ovechkin

51 / MTL / 89-90

Stephane Richer

51 / COL / 95-96

Joe Sakic

51 / MDA / 96-97

Teemu Selanne

51 / STL / 92-93

Brendan Shanahan

51 / TBL / 09-10

Steven Stamkos

51 / DET / 90-91

Steve Yzerman

50 / OTT / 06-07

Dany Heatley

50 / OTT / 05-06

Dany Heatley

50 / COL / 02-03

Milan Hejduk

50 / CGY / 07-08

Jarome Iginla

50 / MDA / 95-96

Paul Kariya

50 / PHI / 96-97

John LeClair

50 / PIT / 96-97

Mario Lemieux

50 / PIT / 11-12

Evgeni Malkin

50 / DAL / 93-94

Mike Modano

50 / BOS / 93-94

Cam Neely

50 / WSH / 09-10

Alex Ovechkin

50 / WSH / 15-16

Alex Ovechkin

50 / ANA / 10-11

Corey Perry

50 / CHI / 92-93

Jeremy Roenick

50 / WIN / 95-96

Keith Tkachuk

NHL News

Delivered to your inbox

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!

You'll
also
receive Yardbarker's daily Top 10, featuring the best sports stories from around the web.
Customize your newsletter to get articles on your favorite sports and teams. And the best part? It's free!